Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to database systems, and more particularly to replication of data definition languages (DDL).
Background Art
Data replication is the process of maintaining multiple copies of a database object in a distributed database system. Performance improvements can be achieved when data replication is employed, since multiple access locations exist for the access and modification of the replicated data. For example, if multiple copies of a data object are maintained, an application can access the logically “closest” copy of the data object to improve access times and minimize network traffic. In addition, data replication provides greater fault tolerance in the event of a server failure, since the multiple copies of the data object effectively become online backup copies if a failure occurs.
Languages used for data manipulation and replication, such as SQL, can be divided into two main sublanguages, namely the data definition language (DDL) and the Data Manipulation Language (DML).
The data definition language comprises commands used to create and destroy databases and database objects. After the database structure is defined with DDL, database administrators and users can utilize the data manipulation language (DML) to insert, retrieve and modify the data included within it.
In some cases, databases may assist replication of DDL commands, keeping a log of DDL command text. However, not all databases support this feature.
Therefore, what is needed is a system, method and computer program product that allows replication of DDL commands in environments where DDL command text is not logged, stored or recorded.